This invention relates to electrical interconnect devices, and particularly to electrical connectors including module extraction apparatus. More particularly, the invention relates to an electrical connector including means for ejecting one or more modules attached to the electrical connector.
An electrical interconnect device is a useful tool for connecting electrical components to one another. Typically, an electrical interconnect device will include a socket for holding and retaining one or more modules therein so that the modules are coupled electrically, for instance, to a printed circuit board. A module is typically any electrical component, package, or edge card having contacts that can be inserted into the socket provided by the electrical interconnect device. An edge card is a variety of printed circuit board that can be mounted in a socket. The socket mechanically holds a module in place in an interconnect device and provides an electrically conductive path so that the module can be connected electrically to a printed circuit board.
One problem with conventional electrical connectors is that it is often difficult to extract a module that is held in the socket formed in the electrical connector. It will be understood that modules are often socketed close to one another on an electrical connector in tight quarters, making it hard for a technician to pry a selected module out of the connector socket manually by hand or using a tool. A delicate module can be damaged easily during extraction by rough handling if means is not available to permit a user to remove the module consistently with minimum effort.
Another problem is that it is often difficult to remove a module which has many contacts engaging a connector socket and spreading out over a large area. These large modules must be replaced from time to time and an apparatus configured to help a technician extract such large modules from a connector socket without damaging either the module itself or neighboring modules would be useful.
It is known to provide an electrical connector with module extraction apparatus. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,990,097 to Billman et al. wherein a handle on the connector can be lifted to permit a circuit panel member to be withdrawn from a socket and U.S. Pat. No. 4,070,081 to Takahashi wherein swinging lifting levers are provided for prying a module upwardly out of a socket. See also U.S. Pat. No. 2,987,693 to Wamsley.
It has been observed that technicians often find it a difficult task to grip a handle of the type disclosed in the Billman et al. '097 patent using their fingers to actuate the extraction device. This is especially true if the socket is nestled in close proximity to other components or devices. It will be understood that, in many cases, a great deal of lifting force must be applied by a technician to a socketed module to extract it from a socket and that the fingers of a technician could be hurt during manual module extraction activities. Of course, such a lifting force problem is made worse if the module to be extracted has many socket-engaging contact spreading out over a large area of the socket. The Takahashi '081 levers provide more mechanical advantage, but take up space which is not always available in a high-density system. The Wamsley '693 lever assembly is not a part of the socket itself and is mounted on a plate separated from the socket.
According to the present invention, an electrical interconnect device includes an elongated socket including means for releasably holding a module in an engaged position therein and means for ejecting at least a portion of the module from the holding means. The device also includes means for rotating the ejecting means about an axis of rotation extending in the direction of elongation of the socket to move the ejecting means against a module held in the socket means. This action causes at least a portion of the module to be disengaged from the socket means to enable a user to extract the module from the socket means.
In preferred embodiments, the ejecting means is a half-moon-shaped cam member and the rotating means includes a lever arm having a hand grip at one end and a pivot post coupled to the other end. The pivot post extends through a channel formed in the socket to connect to the cam member. The pivot post is rotatable in the channel about the central axis of the pivot post.
In use, the lever arm is pivoted by a technician to rotate about the axis of rotation of the pivot post to cause a module to be extracted from the socket. The lever arm is used to rotate the pivot post in the channel formed in the socket to cause the cam member to rotate and urge a module held in the holding means out of engagement with the holding means to enable a user to extract the module from the socket.
One feature of the improved electrical interconnect device is that it is provided with a compact rotatably actuated module ejection assembly The cam member and the lever arm rotate about the axis of rotation established by the pivot post To assist in extracting a socketed module, a great deal of leverage is generated by use of a lever arm that is pivotable to rotate a cam member to a position disengaging a module from a socketed position in a connector socket. This provides a very simple and natural motion to a technician assigned to manually remove either large or small modules from a connector socket. Due to the lever arm advantage, the force required to eject a module from the connector socket is relatively low. This is true even if the module to be extracted has many socket-engaging contacts spreading out over a large area on the socket. One advantage of this feature is that resultant forces during actuation act to keep the interconnect device securely coupled to the underlying printed circuit board instead of tending to pull the device away from the printed circuit board. In addition, the lever arm is coupled to the socket to pivot about an axis that extends in the direction of elongation of the socket to provide a compact module ejector assembly on the socket.
Another feature of the present invention is that the rotatably actuated module ejection assembly is mounted on an electrical connector to lie between two modules that are arranged in side-by-side relation and socketed to the connector. The ejection assembly includes a lever arm mounted to an electrical connector and coupled to a cam member as described above. The lever arm is pivotable about an axis of rotation either in a clockwise direction to move the cam member in one direction to eject the first modules from engagement with its connector socket or in a counterclockwise direction to move the cam member in another direction to eject the second module from engagement with its connector socket. Advantageously, a single pivotable lever arm and cam assembly is operable to permit a technician to remove more than one socketed module from an electrical connector.
Additional objects, features, and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the invention as presently perceived.